The College Student’s Guide to Sexually Transmitted Infections

By Avery Kleinman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

It’s no secret that college students have lots of sex. Not all, of course, but many -- enough to turn campuses into breeding grounds for all sorts of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Some common campus outbreaks include herpes, HPV, Chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea -- and yes, even HIV. That’s why you’d be smart to read this before your next hookup.

The Facts: Sexually Transmitted Infections in College
It’s not the most pleasant subject matter, but here are some harsh stats from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

•  Even though college students only represent a quarter of the sexually active population, 15- to 24-year olds contract nearly half of all new STIs.

•  From 2007 to 2008, rates of gonorrhea for 20- to 24-year-olds rose 2.5 percent, while Chlamydia jumped nearly 10 percent.

“The biggest things inhibiting sexual health are fear and stigma,” says Dr. Peter Leone, professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and medical director of the North Carolina HIV/STD Prevention and Control Branch. “People don’t like talking about STIs. There’s the concern that it makes you dirty or promiscuous, when that’s not the case at all. We all want to think that we’re not that kind of person. But with prevalence rates as high as they are in the population, it really doesn’t have any kind of indication on you.”

Stay Safe From Sexually Transmitted Infections in College
If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times: Use condoms! They drastically reduce the risk of contracting STIs.

Heather Corinna, founder of sex education program Scarleteen and author of S.E.X.: The All-You-Need-to-Know Progressive Sexuality Guide to Get You Through High School and College, stresses the importance of protection: “Use latex barriers for any and all oral, vaginal or anal sex for at least the first six months of any sexual relationship, without exception, until and unless that relationship becomes exclusive after that point and both people get regularly tested for all STIs.”

Maria,* a 19-year-old sophomore attending college in Illinois, contracted Chlamydia during a date rape in high school. “I always used a condom before this happened to me, and I’ve always used a condom since,” she says. “I also try to get the sexual history of my partner before anything happens.”

Get Tested for Sexually Transmitted Infections in College
If you are sexually active and haven’t been tested for STIs, go get checked. Like, now. Most schools offer free, anonymous testing at the student health center. You should continue to get tested once a year, and more often if you have many partners.

Taking care of your sexual health should not be cause for embarrassment. Says Corinna: “STIs are infectious diseases just like other kinds of infectious diseases. They're not something wildly different or automatically worse than other infections. They've been tremendously stigmatized because of our culture's attitudes about sex and genitals, but STIs can be as benign as a cold or as serious as Ebola.

“We hear a lot of shame when it comes to any kind of STI-positive status, and that's a pity because, again, these are illnesses. We don't feel embarrassed when we get the flu, so we have nothing to be ashamed of if and when we get an STI either.”

“I’ll tell people I was date-raped before I’ll tell them I’ve had Chlamydia,” says Maria. “I was ashamed and humiliated. I couldn’t believe it was happening to me. I’m still embarrassed, even though I know it wasn’t my fault.”

Be Treated for Sexually Transmitted Infections in College
So, you peed in a cup, had blood drawn, got swabbed and then you find out … you’re positive.

“Everything just stopped when I found out,” says Maria. “I felt like the world was crashing around me. It all got better when I told my mom. You can go through the whole process -- getting tested, getting the medication and getting better -- without ever telling anyone, but it’s a lot to handle on your own. It’s important to have a friend or family member behind you that you can trust.”

After the proper treatment plan comes perhaps the most dreaded part -- letting past sexual partners know you’ve tested positive for a sexually transmitted infection. But take heart: Nobody expects you to pull out your little black book and contact everyone you’ve ever slept with. For most infections, medical professionals advise you to inform anyone you’ve had sexual contact with in the past 60 days.

Regardless of your hookup history, prevention of STIs is an important issue on college campuses. And because infection rates are on the rise, it’s wise to find out all you can about this topic. To learn more, visit ItsYourSexLife.com for advice geared specifically to young people.

*Name has been changed to protect privacy